And maintaining our house and property helps keep us that way. We just are looking ahead to the time when it seems right to reluctantly say "goodbye" to the pleasures and pains of our current lifestyle.

Last night we watched a DVD sent to us by folks at Panorama, a continuing care retirement community in Lacey, Washington.

We like the Northwest, so were interested in Panorama. Lacey is adjacent to Olympia, Washington -- which strikes me as a much cooler state capital than Salem is.

Plus, Washington has two additional pluses: it has legalized marijuana and assisted suicide (if you have a terminal condition). Being baby boomers who came of age in the 1960's, and are now in our mid-60's, we aren't interested in living a golf course and bingo retirement.

Especially not in a right-wing state like Florida or Arizona. So the left coast likely is where we'll spend the rest of our days.

Watching the DVD made us realize that this won't be in a continuing care retirement community. At least, not until they pull my longboard/skateboard out of my land paddling senior citizen arms.

This is not a dig against Panorama.

It appears to be a great retirement community for those who are attracted to having assisted living and skilled nursing facilities available, allowing them to smoothly transition from being independent to needing regular health care and other help.

The people interviewed in the Panorama DVD are not like us. Again, not a criticism. Just reality. This was evident from their clothes, home decor, manner of speaking, interests, and what they liked about Panorama.

Laurel and I don't think ourselves as old, even though we're 64 and 65. We damn sure don't enjoy acting like we're old. We dress as youthfully as Social Security recipients can get away with. We enjoy the MTV Video Music Awards. In short, we're aging ex-hippies who still embrace the Flower Child dream.

I'm sure marketing genuises in the 55+ community industry must recognize this. However, a bunch of Googling hasn't revealed any "active adult" developments aimed at the Aging Hippie demographic.

I think there's an opportunity here. Give me a call, planned community developers. My wife and I would be happy to serve as consultants on what people like us are looking for when they decide to leave their current home and lifestyle.

Comments

I've been thinking of the need for exactly the type of community you're talking about. I'm 'only'56, but my day is coming. I'm envisioning a rural or semi-rural community with a cluster of small homes, shared garden, chickens, cats and dogs.. Late 60's commune model perhaps. Did you see that video of the man in his early 70's who developed a really cool adult 'playground'? Something to keep the mind and body healthy.

A friend and I are working on just that sort of community for aging counterculturalists that you and Heidi describe, especially what Heidi described.

It would incorporate permaculture gardens, rainwater harvesting and outdoor living/gathering areas with small easy to maintain dwellings of local natural materials. Graywater from laundry, showers, dishwashing would be utilized for irrigation and lanscaping would include local plants adapted to the climate, many of which would bear edible potions or fruit. There would be chickens, goats and fish ponds as part of the permaculture gardening ecosystems. It would be adjacent to open land for natural walks/hikes/hobbles/limps/shuffles. Paths would be gavel dirt with proper drainage and could be used for biking as well as wheelchair races. The whole thing would be earth friendly and would blend with the environment as much as possible. Social interaction would revolve around the lifestyle offered by the property itself. There cold be a Magic Bus for trips to the mall, but the people who would be attracted to living this way are not going to be accumulating a lot of polyester at Macy's. The emphasis is on the land itself and what it has to offer...rattlesnakes, scorpions, cacti as well as more benign flora and fauna.

I'm a Libertarian (as in: do whatever you want as long as it's not on my property and I don't have to fund it without my consent) hippie chick who is married to a conservative former corporate guy (3rd marriage). We're currently living in an overpriced too-normal-for-me-and-I-can't-take-it-anymore retirement community, where I feel like I'll never fit in. If anyone can tell me about ANY hippyish retirement community ANYWHERE in the US - or better yet write a short blog post about it or give me an interview - please leave a message in the comment section (at the bottom of the page of any blog post) on my website, Boomerinas.com. I want to MOVE. I love the beauty of the Seattle area but it's so freaking damp & cold that my arthritis (from an old ski injury) is making certain movements difficult for me. You don't HAVE to do an article unless you want to... it would be free advertising for your dream retirement location. However, I am currently in the process of looking for a place to move and I need advice. (Lower property taxes would help. And, my current husband is quite conservative, so you'll have to be tolerant of his misguided ideas. He's a little too old to have lived through the hippie movement... and try as I might... he's untrainable.) Peace, Tina Boomerina

I hear ya' brother...I want to have some fun and still keep fighting to change the world...I don't know how well I'd do with libertarians and conservative corporate types...I consider myself a revolutionary socialist...but at this point, I'm even more interesting in partying than in the revolution.

Searching. . . I am 65 soon to be 66 old hippie chic from the 60's I was laid off of my last job on Dec 6 2013.I am so done with the working thing and decided I am retired. I have survived being in the mainstream for way to long. . I do not require much I will manage on my Social Security. Searching for some kind of fellowship with others that have the 'hippie state of mind'. Now the couple in Salem with 10 acres--why not develop a community on your land? I am now living in a small duplex close to daughter & family that is affordable and fits my budget but I miss the interaction with other old hippies. My current friends are fairly straight and accept me for who I am but I am a 'novelty' friend and not understood or taken seriously. Things like my Peace efforts & views, environment issues, spiritual insights, 420 belief, food choices are kind of viewed by them as humorous at times. I have survived breast cancer, have normal aches & pains, wear glasses, have upper denture which helps with collecting SMILES. Well all for now. Just feels good to express myself hopefully to others out there. Peace

I'm a Tufts MD who proverbially "chucked it" for a moment in the sun doing what I went to med school for. I'm just 51, so am looking to do my project for 20 years, should the Gods be willing.

In terms of health care and keeping yourself disease free and discomfort free, what do you want access to. Presently I'm developing this pinterest.com/lowwater/ but since there's no such thing a magic bullet, I wish to broaden my horizons by better understanding yours.

BTW, if you can get me a joy ride on "Furthur", a round of massage therapy for the house on me. Did Kesey's estate ever get that thing into the Smithsonian or was that an urban legend?

wow,I can relate to all that's being said here. I'm 63 and am a healer and have a thriving in person and phone session practice in energy psychology that I would never retire from and have land in upstate new york near ithaca that is beautiful which i was planning to build on but have been chastened by the idea that the winters in that area start in the end of summer! I would love to be in a community that holds hippy values and is beautiful where I can build a small home. I am fine for now in New Jersey but am getting tired of taking care of the house and soooo over the winters! I know that chapel hill is one place that we old hippies can call a resting ground and the weather is milder but I have yet to visit so its' all hearsay. I'd love any ideas that you have about other places/cities states to look into. I'm crazy for the beach too but putting that all on my wish list may be too much to ask for. But. hey what the hell. Let's dream big :-)

I am 60, and I have been thinking/worrying about this a lot recently. My in-laws are in a lovely facility with very good care, but the place gives me the screaming hebee-jebees! (Sorry, I never tried to spell that before) I want 70s music, tie-dye, liberal politics, recycling, and a community! I love New England, but the winters just about kill me. I have breathing issues and need access to top medical facilities. I don't know what the solution is, but I am encouraged to find other like minds. We need to get busy!

Hi I am Margaret from England and I have to say that the thought of being made to sit in a fake leather orange chair and be quiet fills me with dread. I intend to return to my childhood I want to play on swings, padle, make funny cards, paint, dig holes etc etc But there is no where here that allows this its all about containment and thats so wrong

What is so gratifying about this website is it's hippie orientation, and openness to alternative problem solving. My comments are directed to the issue of relocation and community of shared histories, experiences, and belief systems that we've nurtured over the years. If you do the astrology thing, or believe it has value, investigate "Astro-Cartography"- it is a trademark, but I don't know what else to call it. Maybe, relocation charts- however you google it, it will lead to the same general area, and idea. Just like we have a rising sign, the time of birth determines which houses planets fall in. It also determines where those planets "fall" on the earth. If you are seriously considering relocation, and don't have a specific destination, it is worth your time and effort. Rather than move somewhere to find hippies there, astrological relocation could direct you to those places that would be more conducive to manifesting the qualities one associates with your own hippiness. One doesn't necessarily need the services of a qualified astrologer as the literature and internet are rich in detail and self-study. In my own situation, I grew up in LA-on my saturn line; came of age in the Haight on my Pluto line; and now live in PDX, on my Uranus line; I much prefer PDX- I'm never bored here, and I can handle the changes that Uranus brings.

i AM 60 OR 06 OR 16...I forget or don't care....except for the fact that as I age, I want to be near like minded people, ya know, freaks. What about when the mind starts to spin in reverse? What if I too want to swing in the morning? Play in a garden in the afternoon and swim in the evening under the stars? I don't want to be locked up to "protect" me from my insane behaviors...but I fear this, eventually. I imagine this community where we keep an eye on each other, like we used to do.
I am Reiki practitioner so I tend to be a nurturer, always concerned for others. IT TAKES ALL TYPES, really! To make something like this work.
We did so much in our young lives, we changed the world. Are done now? I don't think so. I am not.
Let,s come together, a group of First Generation Hippies, collectively purchase a parcel of acreage in the southwest, (healthiest and spiritual) and go out in style.
We could have festivals, we could farm and sell our produce. We are a large community of artists, teachers, doctors, lawyers, nurses, dog officers, bus drivers, there is a job for everyone. We abolish money!!!!!!! I am getting carried away.
All of you that read this, think about it. I am talking 'bout my generation' the one I am so proud to be a member of....we do everything better and cooler. We need to retire back to the gardens. Listen to music, smoke our pot and just ...."be".
Let's start something.

At almost 63 I am with you. I have looked high and low for a community that fits..me...as many have expressed. It is amusing/curious to me that this conversation emerged when I googled 'what is an aging hippie to do?'. at 1:00 am.. .expecting nothing. So.. Ya never know.

Check out facebook: "OCF Old Hippies Home"
OCF = Oregon Country Fair
A lot of us Old Hippies who attend the Fair are getting started on this idea of spending the rest of our lives LIVING together - taking care of each other, sharing what we all have, and not letting anybody cut our hair!
Check it out. We are just starting, but hippies from all over the US and the world come to the Fair every year, so this is a large base of like-minded folks. The more we all share, the more we all have.

Lynne, thanks for the info. My wife and I love the Oregon Country Fair. We trek (well, drive) down from Salem every year, getting our annual dose of un-Salem'ness. If you're familiar with Salem, you know what I mean.

I took a quick look at the "OCF Old Hippies Home" page. Interesting. Living as we do now on ten acres in the country, in a single family home, we feel most comfortable in our own house. But I can understand the appeal of shared "elder housing."

It's tough to find the perfect place, probably because "perfect" is a human concept that doesn't exist in natural reality. We like the idea of being in town, in a walkable/bikable liberal mixed use neighborhood, but we also like the privacy, quiet, and nature trails where we are now.

Sigh... I guess life will guide us in the direction we need to go, As if we had a choice.

So many of us are at this junction. Some interesting concepts are arising, e.g. pocket communities and multi-age communal living situations. Some cities are more progressively supportive than others. It appears that you have the space and an interest in developing a viable/vibrant option for like-minded individuals to extend their independence, productivity, and creativity many years into the future, prior to enrolling in one of the current assisted living facilities. We may need a little more help from our friends at this point, but we are far from incapacitated. I'll be watching for further posts.

Sign me up. Make sure it's someplace warm. The hills of Hawaii would be nice. I can't cook but I can write... and paint (art) if it's warm enough to heal the arthritis in my neck. (Then I can move my arms.)

I'm 65,grew up in the Bay Area and was there in SF, for the good times. From 65-67-in the Haight, and I spent 1971 Living On The Earth, with Alica Bay Laurel as a neighbor, as well as 150 or so others, on Wheelers Ranch in Sonoma Co. Open land concept.

What I learned is this. Most people can get along fine with no need for authority. But, some need to be told right from wrong, and there in lies the rub in the utopias. The takers vs. the givers is a constant diversion.
So, to be a real good place to live, and share with other like minded people, requires strict rules of conduct, and a willingness to be open and respectful, to others. I would love to live together with others of my generation and persuasion.
Likeminded free thinkers that are drug and alcohol free would be ideal. I live in a nice apartment in Washington, near Portland, but would love to live on land with others. It can be done and work great if everyone comes together to make it happen. Times running out. Living on Social Security can be made easy, when it's done in a group or family type situation.

Ocean Beach, California is a throwback to the good old days! It's beachy, behemian, laid-back, dog-friendly, socially conscious, diverse, and there is that relaxed feeling you have when you walk down the street and people actually say hello! It's far from perfect, no place is, but it's definitely one of the last communities left for people like us!

It's so good to hear I am not the only one that feels this way. I'm 62 and live in Florida alone. My children and grandchildren are here as is my soon to be 80 year mother. I remember living in communes and working together as a family and would love to live with like minded people. I do have RA and I am currently an out of work MSW social worker. I would love a peaceful environment preferably vegetarian/vegan. The northwest sounds wonderful. Cant seem to find a hippie/bohemian type community here in Florida. Plus im very outspoken about animal cruelty and ecological issues. Not always easy to find people my age here that feel the way I do. Thanks for letting me share.

Well this is a old blog but seeing another recent post I thought I'd chime in.

At first I was hell bent on Colorado. I'm only 55 and may never actually be able to fully retire.

A villagey type area would be more toward my ideal. I think a lot of just being an RVer but even then I'll eventually have to have that one comfortable place and prefer it in an area where I can gather with like minded folks.

I don't think I could do a commune thing well, after living alone as long as I have. I'd be happy just to find the right little village not far from the nature and/or hiking trails.

I don't drink but I do like to do a little cannabis. It's not easy to come by at this age, especially if I were to move away from younger relatives.

Guess I really didn't add anything, except that us who came of age at the dawn of the 70's are in the same boat.

Florida is a real downer and I do have friends there and friends who still light up, but man that's as liberal as they get. Otherwise they are stuck in a disco time warp and love their Jeb.

I am 58 and disabled/retired I own 10 acres in the upper peninsula Mi. I have a wonderful Garden and medical 420 card, a nice shop. The only problem is it gets cold in the winter and the locals are pretty redneck. I live 40 miles from a stop light, a grocery store or a fast food place (don't eat that stuff anyways)I have my hair still to the middle of my back and wear levis and black high top chuck taylors allstars. have a 74 beetle mint condition (cuz I take care of her)I'm a musician , the only bummer is I just wished more people like me lived here

Nice to read all these ideas. Particularly like Jaymes Easton's concept of astro-cartography and relocation charts. Off to research that now.

I'm 71 going on 40. Forget about "good health care", we're all going to die eventually anyway. We don't want to eat factory food, chemical cocktails. Why should we accept that concept of health care? That's not a good criteria for moving.

Consider whether you are extrovert or introvert. Define the differences between "want" and "need."

I'm so DONE with the Sonoran Desert extremes, 106ºF to 16ºF. The overhead costs of heating, cooling, sourcing water are insane.

Consider whether you need proximity to a good secondary international airport; forget the boondocks.

The more isolated the land and the more poverty based the population the more conservative, discriminatory, and racist the basis of the society and culture.

Just a few of the things I have learned in my search. That said, I do not have any clear answers either. thanks, all

I am working on an independent living community like the ones spoken about above with a focus on spiritual growth. I'm trying to gauge whether this concept would draw in people from out of state. It is going to be on 50 acres just outside of Gainesville, Florida. So would any of you be willing to move out of your local area for something like this? I'd really love to speak with some of you as we develop the concept…we are looking at breaking ground in May, 2016. you can reach me at [email protected]

wow! how cool to find others looking for the same thing! To answer the question above - No. I am interested in a situation where free spirits can be free spirits. I want to enjoy weed, dance, do yoga, swim, continue doing whatever I can to honor and save our planet, meditate and attend to my own spirituality, plus play with like minded people. As a group we can begin to hire assistance as we need it. btw i am an acupuncturist and herbalist

I am looking for the same thing. I lived in a commune in the 70s. I moved every year growing up, sold my house and bought an rv. I traveled across the country with my six kids and homeschooled them..alone. I'm a child of the 60s, teen of the 70s. Gypsy at heart. Still looking for my place. Where do I belong? I'm a yoga teacher, artist and author. Reiki, balance aura/chakras, drumming circle player, tarot reader...

I've begun looking into a place with these value on behalf my mother. She had a stroke and is in rehab. Dont know yet how much independence she will recover, and it is my hope she will return to her rural Vermont home needing a bit more help than before. But recovery is slow thus far and it's a distinct possibility she'll end up needing "skilled care".

People reading this, what are some places you have identified? New England or Pacific Northwest preferred, but open to all ideas.